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Ship commissioning
The process of ship commissioning is the final stage in the beginning of life of a naval vessel or starship. Commission A ship's life begins during construction, a process that begins with the primary pieces of the vessel's structure being laid down, a term which originates from the time of ocean-going navy organizations, when the keel of a ship was literally "laid down" in a drydock to have the hull built around it. After the superstructure is constructed, a vessel is launched. Once launched, the ship is removed from any dock structures to be tested, commonly referred to as a shakedown cruise. This is not always the final stage of the construction, as a vessel that is launched could still require major work to be done, but a launched vessel is usually competent to at least move under its own power. Once a vessel is deemed to be qualified to be in service, it is commissioned. Although prototype designs may require periods of time for shakedown between their launch and commission, proven designs could be launched and commissioned almost simultaneously, as their performance would not be in question, excepting normal inspections and performance tests. The commissioning process usually involves a ceremony or at least an observance of the ship being activated into service. If a government agency is in possession of a ship, their act of commissioning the vessel will generally include designations, such as names or numbers, and the listing of the ship into said agency's registry. Decommission If a ship is taken out of active service lists, it is said to be decommissioned. This could be done for a variety of reasons, including changes to the ship's designation or registry, or work to be done on the physicality of the ship itself. At this point, the vessel's name and registry could be removed from lists of ships on duty, and the ship would not be considered in active commission. In the Federation Starfleet, starships or other vessels that have reached a certain age, become technologically outdated, or have been severely damaged may be decommissioned. When a vessel is decommissioned, there are a variety of things that may be done with the vessel. * It may be sent to a surplus yard, such as Qualor II to either be stripped down or be held in reserve. ( ) * It could be dismantled, with its components either scrapped or recycled for use on board other ships or installations. ( ; ) * It could be used as a target for live fire exercises. ( ) * It may be given to a planetary or regional government for use in a local defense force. ( ) * It may be drydocked as a museum exhibit. ( }}) * At one time the Federation has sold decommissioned vessels to private entities. ( }}) Examples of decommissioning In 2161, the Enterprise (NX-01) was decommissioned after ten years in active service. ( ) At the completion of the first five-year mission under the command of James T. Kirk, Starfleet originally decided to decommission and dismantle the . However, the high-profile nature of the Enterprise led Starfleet to reverse that decision, and to instead refit the Enterprise. ( ) In 2285, the age of the Enterprise, coupled with all the recent damage inflicted by Khan Noonien Singh led Starfleet to decide to finally decommission the Enterprise. Before Starfleet could do so, then-Admiral James T. Kirk stole the Enterprise and took it to the Genesis Planet. ( ) After the signing of the Khitomer Accords in 2293, the was decommissioned. The vessel was soon handed over to the government of Chal for use in their local defense force. She was later destroyed by Admiral Androvar Drake. ( ) For some time, the Federation sold old, outdated starships to private concerns. There was at least one old starship that was sold in such a manner. This vessel eventually fell into Romulan hands, where it had been refitted and given to the privateer Diego DeBlazio to attack Federation shipping. ( }}) The Vulcan ship ''T'Pau'' was decommissioned and sent to the surplus yard at Qualor II. At some point the T'Pau was stolen from the yard, along with two other Vulcan ships by Romulan agents. The ships were used by the Romulans in their attempt to invade Vulcan, and were destroyed when the invasion failed and the capture of the invasion force was inevitable. ( ) Recommission A recommissioning would then be the process of taking a decommissioned vessel back into active service. Often, such a vessel would have new modifications made, or could simply have been renamed or even recrewed after a period of inactivity. Notable commissions The government of United Earth commissioned the Earth Starfleet space vessel hurriedly, as the vessel was ready for launch, but somewhat untested. Many of the ship's systems were tested during the first mission, and some secondary systems were not installed until later in the vessel's first years of service. ( , et al.) The Federation Starfleet took advantage of an extended schedule for the beginning of its vessels. The first vessel authorized was the NX-1700, but as the project moved forward, another construction contract was filed for the second vessel, NCC-1701. The second vessel was completed in advance of the NX-1700, and was launched first, in 2243. Both vessels were in launch later in 2243, with the first construction bearing its NX-1700 registry, and 1701 construction being temporarily registered NX-0002. The ships were finally commissioned as Constitution and Enterprise, respectively, in 2245. ( ; ; | }}) The Federation Starfleet recommissioned an existing vessel, renamed and re-registered as the in honor of the crew of the last voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). The vessel had previously borne the names Ti-Ho, Atlantis and Yorktown. ( ; ) category:terminology